Only the middle of August and already I am hoping for an early frost. I just cannot keep up with all the harvest, collecting seeds, canning and the most time-consuming of all: watering. Some of my determinate tomato plants will be ready for the compost in another week or so — there are only a few green tomatoes left on them.
I had phone calls about the tomato hornworms, and gardeners are finding them in their gardens for the first time. I don’t know if I am right but I blame it on the warmer weather. Anyway, I am now to number eight and the last one was very big. This is the information I got from the farmer’s almanac website. “In late spring, large adult moths lay eggs on the undersides of foliage, which will hatch within a week. Caterpillar larvae will feed from four to six weeks before creating a cocoon for overwintering in the soil. If the weather is warm enough, larvae may only burrow for as little as two to three weeks. Moths will emerge in the spring, and will then lay eggs once again. More than one generation a year may be possible in warmer climates.”
Another question was about the flowers on a pumpkin vine and no pumpkin. Squash have both male and female flowers on the same vine. The male flowers are usually the first ones to open along the vine. As the vine grows, more flowers appear. Eventually, the female flowers will show up about two weeks or more after the male flowers. They both stay open only one day and you need both at the same time for pollination. The male flower has a long stem and will be blooming all along the vine and the female flower is closer to the vine with a miniature fruit. There are always more male flowers than female flowers. Sometimes the fruit will form and drop later because of poor pollination. From some of the articles I read, all that has something to do with the weather, watering and spacing of the plants. If you have too many male flowers, you can dip them in a batter and fry them, as they are edible.
I cannot do anything about the heat so I am using it the best I can. I dry my food in the greenhouse these days. I did cherry and regular tomatoes sprinkled with dried basil and they dried in only two days. I am making zucchini chips this week and soon I will be drying my seedless grapes and making my own raisins. I use the dehydrator trays and lay them on the wooden clothes rack or other shelves, close the window and door, and I have a solar dehydrator. The only drawback is the cool nights. If you have a small greenhouse that is empty at this time, give it a try. I even did fruit leather a few years back.
Don’t forget the food bank if you have too much in your garden. Upper Room Mission can use a lot of fruits and vegetables with all the mouths it has to feed daily. Food is valuable and should not be wasted. Better give it away than let it rot on the ground. If you have lots of it, the Gleaners could also be contacted.
For more information: 250-558-4556 plantlady1@shaw.ca
Jocelyne Sewell is an organic gardening enthusiast in the North Okanagan and member of Okanagan Gardens & Roses Club. Her column appears every other Wednesday.